MANILA, Feb. 27 (PNA) — The culture of honesty is indeed getting viral at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after a taxi driver recovered and returned AUD 1,000 left by an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in his cab Wednesday night.
A report from the Manila International Airport Authority-Airport Police Department (MIAA-APD) said Genelito Macaraig, driver of Airport Shuttle Service Inc. (ASSI), of San Pedro, Laguna immediately returned the money placed in a pouch to the MIAA-APD Intelligence and Investigation Division as soon as he arrived back at NAIA Terminal 1 at around 10:45 p.m.
The MIAA-APD said that at around 8 p.m. Wednesday, Macaraig drove a group of returning OFWs from NAIA Terminal 1 in his cab heading for Caloocan City area.
One by one, his passengers alighted at their respective destinations until he noticed a pouch bag apparently left by one of the passengers on the cab’s flooring.
When Macaraig inspected the pouch, he found it contained AUD 1,000 which he quickly reported to airport authorities.
In turn, airport officials contacted the rightful owner, identified as Joseph Apacway, of Benguet province, who has just returned from Sydney, Australia.
When contacted, Apacway was aware he lost the pouch and might have left it in Macaraig’s cab. He said he will claim the pouch as soon as he gets back to Manila on Sunday as he was already on his way to his hometown.
Macaraig is married with three children and is earning P200 a day for driving the cab.
Late last month, Jony Villon, a pushcart retriever at NAIA Terminal 1, recovered USD 4,800, also left by an arriving passenger at Parking “A” of the terminal.
Early this month, Rodolfo Bernal Jr., also a pushcart retriever, found the equivalent of P60,000 left by an arriving tourist at NAIA Terminal 1.
Both Villon and Bernal are contractual employees of a manpower services hired by MIAA. (PNA)